


You Know You Love Me

by irilovesyou



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, Inspired by Zootopia (2016), Post-Zootopia (2016)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:40:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28559220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irilovesyou/pseuds/irilovesyou
Summary: Staying calm and collected once the world has given you everything you've ever wanted, can prove difficult. But I'd be lying if I said our fox had ever been calm and collected to begin with, Let alone his bunny counterpart. How will they make the through this emotional roller-coaster? Will the friendship they have end in ruin? Or will it become a little more than friendship?
Relationships: Judy Hopps/Nick Wilde
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	1. Am I Real?

I hate you! You're a failure! Nobody's going to love you if you keep screwing up like this, Nick! What are you going to do? Quit, like you always do? Hang up the ol' towel? God, you're worthless! You're going nowhere, you hear me? You're going nowhere... You're going nowhere… You're-

Bang!

Nick's eyes shoot open. Vision blurry and shrouded in darkness. Heart racing, heavy breathing. Is this sweat? Cold air flirted with his ears, his nose. Am I in a dream? A dream within a dream? He felt the cold slap his chest. "Alright... No shirt."

Green skidding across a sea of white, scraping the walls for a hint as to if this could be the real world, or if he's due for yet another stint of subconscious incarceration.

Nothing.

He drew a deep breath, afraid to speak, as if a but a mumble could rip this stagnant, seemingly dreamy atmosphere apart, and call upon the cold hands of unfamiliarity to strangle him into submission. He took turns gripping at the tranquility resting beneath him. Left hand. Right. Left again. Hoping the commotion would motivate the puppeteer behind the scenes to begin tugging the strings once more. Left hand, Right hand, Left-

Fur?

His mind went for the forty-yard dash. This was way more information that he thought he'd be getting. He tried not to entertain the thoughts being wedged into his already overpopulated brain, but of course, He entertained them anyway. He knew where he was and whose fur rested beneath his arms. It couldn't be any other bunny. He felt his shoulders drop slowly. Dumb fox… All he had to do was graze the cottontail of his other half, and that alone would send him and his thoughts packing to the moon. The way she made him feel was absurd.

"Mmh- ''. She moved.

His night vision kicked in, and the void he once gazed upon in fear, took life. It showed him a world that would hold him deeper under the waters of confusion than the darkness that closed in on him and stared at him from every direction. This darkness grew and shrank, brushing across the brick walls that surrounded him. The black stuck to his darting eyes, following his gaze. Until the black met grey. Until the black met white. It metamorphosed into a smaller, more shapely shadow, giving him all the more information that he wasn't sure he wanted or not. The cold air that once was had been displaced by the warm amalgamation of grays and whites, whose breath made the whole of it rise and fall ever so slightly.

The silhouette became a silhouette no more. It stripped him of all thought. She turned, lurching onto her elbow, shuffling around, and pressing her body into him. How much more of this could he handle? Even if she so much as looked at him, it set off fireworks. She made him want to scream. She made the void in his stomach twist and turn.

Mouth agape from all this sudden movement. Ears twitching, tongue and jaw locked into place. Each hot breath she exhaled took hold of his heart, and squeezed just a little bit tighter than she should've. He was wrong. Unfamiliarity didn't have cold hands. It had hot breath. It had soft fur and a steady, fast heart. It had long ears, and intense, amethyst eyes-

Wait… amethyst eyes?

She stole his gaze and held onto it.

Well there go the fireworks...

"Nick...are you alright?"

"You're gonna be the death of me one day...know that?

Nick and Judy had been tasked with probably one of the most grueling cases they'd ever been met with. Not because one of them could get shot in the line of duty, or captured and held as hostages.

It was just...really hot.

Nick stared at the clock on the laptop that hovered above the center console. Staring at this bunny throughout the entire car ride was going to get him nowhere besides an awkward conversation that he hadn't really been prepared for. There were other things going on at the moment.

"Jeez. It's only noon?" He groaned. "Can't wait to get home after all this." He turned his head towards the window, gluing his eyes to every palm tree that flew past him.

"Oh totally. Because doing nothing at all is a real power drainer isn't it?" She mocked him.

"What can I say. It's what I do best."

"I'd argue if I could."

He smirked. Dropping his sunglasses on his nose, he slid back into his chair, and crossed his feet on the dashboard. As they neared their destination, the car took a hard left off of the road and into the dunes that surrounded the district. Eventually, through the bumps, rattles, and slight uneasiness about randomly being sucked into the ground, they made it to their destination. The middle of nowhere...Fun… Nothing but an intensely bright field of sand that cascaded on top of itself. Liquid gold that reflected the beams of sun that came barreling towards it. The heat from the ground shook the cooler air above it. Something you'd see in the distance on a hot day.

"Then no more arguing, sweetheart." he finally let out.

Through rolled eyes, Judy slid the radio off of it's holster.

"Chief Bogo, come in, please." The radio sputtered. Within seconds, she'd been distracted, fiddling with the collar of her shirt, trying to wipe down the accidental coffee spill she'd had earlier this morning. Nick tried to keep a straight face, but the cracks started to show. "pfft...Please?" He snickered. He sat up and dug his elbow into the center console, resting his chin in his hand.

"Bunnies...so polite..and for what?" he whispered to himself. Judy caught the smug look out of the corner of her eye. Plastered on his face like a fifth grader's art project. Goofy.

"What's so funny now?" she interrogated. Not necessarily wanting an answer, as much as she wanted to bug him.

"Hopps?"

"Me? Nah, nothing. Nada. Zilch. Must be you, 'cause it wasn't me." He couldn't have made it more obvious.

"Hopps!?"

Judy rolled her eyes once over, and Nick began to smile involuntarily, only being able to speak through the sharp, soft chuckles he let out.

"Careful. They might get stuck back there." He jokingly flicked her forehead.

Judy sent a fist his way, landing right on his shoulder. "Ow!" Flinching, he soothed the area. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't pretend it didn't hurt.

"Hopps!"

The car jerked forward, trying to halt all of it's momentum.

The radio had been on the entire time.

"Oh! Uh, sorry!" she clamored.

Dumb bunny...

She scrambled to pull up a picture of a map on the laptop that sat next to her. Nick couldn't help the laughter. He tapped her left shoulder, and waited until her bite sized head swung in it's respective direction. After quickly realizing she'd been duped, she swung her head back around to face the fox, slouched back into the passenger seat with the radio. Her eyes widened, and she shook her head vehemently.

"Looking for this?" He let the radio's cable droop from his thumb and forefinger.

"No, no, Nick wai-"

She threw herself at Nick, desperately trying to pry the radio out of his hands. But of course, instead of grabbing the radio, she fell over the console, and directly into Nick's chest. She tried to move, but Nick had already had her swaddled. She tried to shift her weight, but...

"Move if and only if you want to be tickled." He muttered. Guess she wasn't moving after all.

A beat.

"That's what I thought..." He chuckled. He pressed the button on the radio and began to speak.

She could feel the chuckle resonate from his chest. He was warm, and smelled amazing. Is that weird? Maybe... Maybe that might be a little weird... Her cheeks grew a deep red. She'd never been this close to him for this long. She knew she was the only one thinking this deep into it. It was, sort of... kind of... incredibly embarrassing. She could feel her face heating up. Or was it the car? Stop smiling. What did I just say? Stop it!

Nick let his head rest on the window and held the radio slightly above his mouth, just out of reach of the panicking rabbit.

"Sorry for the delay, Bogo, Sir!"

"Now's not the time, Nick. We've got work do to, and I'd appreciate some professionalism. It's already bad enough I let Hopps take this mission instead of Wolfard." Bogo admonished.

She felt irises fall onto her head, Her face burning hot at this point. She pushed her face harder into the chest of the fox, knowing the buttons on his shirt would leave grooves on her forehead. What hurts more? A couple of buttons, or your best friend and ragtag other half finding out that it's a little more than rag and tag?  
Don't move.

"Yeesh... Tough crowd." Nick sighed.

10-20, Sandy Ridge, Northwest of The Palm Tower." He didn't have to look at the map.

"Good. Keep ahead and you'll find one of our guys out there waiting for you with tools and other equipment you'll need to get the job done. Keep an eye out for one another. There isn't a road for a couple of miles, and if you screw this up, there's no telling when someone will get you out of there."

His ears twitched.

"Gotcha. Over and out, Buffalo Butt."

"Don't call me buff-"

Nick slid the radio back onto it's holster and turned the radio down, cutting through the chief's transmission. He dropped his head, meeting the drooped ears of his bite sized buddy. "That enough work for today, Carrots?" He uttered.

Judy sighed into his chest, trying to rid the smile from her face before Nick could notice. it took her a second before she could collect herself. She pulled away from his and stabbed him with her eyes. Pretending to be angry was often too easy, but never in a situation like this. "I could've done it myself, Slick." She crawled back to her side of the car and kept her head forward to focus on the sea of sand that surrounded them.

Hot.

"Aw, don't be mad at me. Pleeeease? Pretty-please, Officer Hopps?" He . Judy hadn't responded. She was only half listening. Too busy panicking behind her cool and collected visage.

Nick shuffled, and put his legs back up onto the dashboard. "Besides...You work hard enough as it is." He gazed out the window, locking his eyes once more onto the palm trees that teetered past them.

"Thank you, Nick." She finally spoke.

Nick held up his paw and flipped it back and forth. "Back of my hand, remember?" He said, still looking out the window.

This was nice. It was almost everything Judy wanted. Nick obviously irritated her, but she wouldn't want it any other way. As cliche as it sounded, He was the Yin to her Yang. It was hard for her to imagine a life where she didn't have to fix his tie every morning, or gossip about police drama, or brush the leftover doughnut pieces that'd somehow be able to fit itself on the same cheek after refreshment breaks. Being with him confused her. Not because she couldn't trust him, but because of how he made her feel. It was confusing how easily this fox could just waltz into her life and make everything all tip-top shape. There's gotta be some sort of explanation here. Something I'm missing. Something I'm not noticing. She wanted to know more about him. She wanted to know if she made his life as amazing as he did hers. She wanted to protect him as much as he wanted to protect her. She wanted to stand guard at his heart and close the drawbridge between him and the rest of the world. For all she knew, the world didn't deserve him. She wanted to know his past. She never knew about anyone close to him other than his mother and Finnick, and she hadn't even been sure if you could call Finnick close. She didn't know his dad, or where he grew up, nothing. It felt unfair that he knew next to everything about her, but not the other way around. It made her feel like she'd been doing something wrong. Was it her fault that she knew nothing about him? There's no way she wouldn't know something. Maybe he was doing it on purpose? What if he's got a warrant? Out of the question. Maybe I'm not prying as much as I need to?

Maybe he hates me?

The fox shot down her thoughts.

"Carrots. Ease up. You're gonna get a headache." She'd been gripping the steering wheel hard, and her nose twitched involuntarily.

She stopped the car, and through one long sigh, rested her head on the steering wheel.

"Whatever's the matter, I've got open ears. I'm here for you. You can trust me with anything." He rubbed her back.

"Sly fox… If only you knew."


	2. Thump, Thump, Thump...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> Heyo, very quickly before this chapter begins. This one is a little bit longer (whoops) but it's mainly because I wanted to delve a little deeper into their banter and how they felt for one another, as well as introduce a story, so there's more going on than just "wow she's/he's so cute". I want people to really get a grasp on exactly how these two feel about one another. That's like... the whole thing here. After this chapter, I will definitely try to focus more on moving the story along. Also...there will be smut...soon. Enjoy. :)

As hours pass, the cop duo become less and less able to do their job. The sweltering sun hadn't necessarily done them any favors.

The end goal for the day had been to find a missing piece of art that was stolen from the Metropolitan Museum. There hadn't been hard evidence, but there was a lead, and pieces of this "lead" had supposedly been split and buried around the city. Wonderful isn't it? A wild goose chase. It was safe to say that they hadn't had the best of luck when it came to situations like these.

Lugging a shovel up to his shoulder, Nick tossed his gaze to where his rabbit counterpart would've been; sitting in the driver's seat, kicking her legs, or typing away at the computer, or.. Y'know.. existing... Something cute. Unfortunately, her head hurt too much to be cute, so he had to deal with the agitating silence of being by himself.

He threw his head back.

"I cannot believe this is real life. This is a setup isn't it? Give the tiny fox and his even tinier partner two huge shovels and no leads? There's no way Bogo didn't do this on purpose. "They couldn't have gotten two big guys to do this? I mean..."

Judy would only be half listening. She was sprawled across the backseat, eyes squeezed shut. As much as she hadn't wanted it to, her brain continuously played the same scenario over and over. Each time becoming more and more immersive. She let her arms flop down. Her open hand hit the center console, reminding her that the real world wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. She filled her lungs, and let the air come out at it's own pace. She felt her heartbeat in her forehead. Her eyes would open from time to time, catching the air particles that appeared and disappeared in the bits of sun that shone through the window. With each thump of her head, it felt like her body and soul would come apart, little by little. She'd snap her eyes back shut, losing focus on the world. She felt her heart throughout her entire body at this point. It almost felt as if the seat she'd been laying on, vibrated with the sound of her heartbeat. It was pleasantly numbing, this state. It's unfortunate she could only experience this for a couple seconds, before she was wrested back to vigilance by the faint syllables Nick thumped on the side of the window.

She wanted to see what he'd been moping about, she really did. But her body wasn't having any of it.

"Hello? Carrots? Are you even listening?"  
He rolled his eyes.

"Look, I don't wanna be the one to burst your bubble or anything, but there's no denying that we are not capable if not the least capable to do this job!

Here comes the pacing...

This has got to be some cruel joke- I'm not the only one that thinks this is some sort of cruel joke, right? I mean, come on!..." He turned, speaking into the wind.

Judy could just barely hear him, and his moping showed no sign of stopping. She cocked her head and saw that he'd been pacing back and forth for lord knows how long. She dropped her head back onto the seat, and let her eyes adjust to the glossy white that covered the top half of the SUV. She groaned with all the energy she could muster in that moment.

"Nick, all you have to do is dig a hole… The faster you do this, the quicker you can stop complaining." Each syllable crawled out of the car with a drawl.

Nick dug the shovel into the ground and leaned against it. He crossed his arms, nose to the sky as he pretended to think about the matter.

"Yeah, no. Absolutely not. You couldn't catch me dead doing this." he deadpanned. He turned, pushing himself off of the handle of the shovel. Docked pay didn't sound too bad.

The fox sat in the driver's seat, and leaned over to grab his sunglasses from the glove compartment. While he searched, he spoke.

"Why don't you do it then? You know all about digging holes in the ground, don't you, Bunny Butt?." he interrogated her.

The bunny wasn't listening.

"Exactly! They always make the fox do it. You graduated at the top of her class, you could surely deal with a couple heave-ho's of this shovel, no sweat. Thanks for covering me, you're a great friend."

"Pardon me?" The rabbit interjected.

Nick eyed her trying to get up.

"Ah, darling, you're just in time. Make yourself useful and let me know if my sunglasses are in the backseat?" They're not in the glove compartment."

Vexation taking her face, she sighed and laid back down. Making sure to face her back towards Nick. Before her head hit the seat, her eyes caught a glint of an object on the floor of the backseat, but her lips were sealed. He could find it himself.

"Who's to say? I'll let you know if I find anything." She rused, turning over, trying to use her arm to shield her face from the rest of the conversation.

There was that sarcastic tone. The one she'd love to catch him with. Although she was annoyed, she couldn't ever stay mad at that dumb fox. She sprinkled a little extra enjoyment in from time to time because she knew how it annoyed Nick. She had little to no energy, but she decided to put it into something useful.

"Har-Har, Judy, I know you see them. Just hand 'em over and nobody gets hurt, eh?"

The fox extended his legs and began to pat himself down.

"You'll never catch me alive, copper!"

"Is that right?"

His ears turned towards the muffled giggling coming from the backseat.

Nick stopped dead in his tracks, there was so much time in the world that can be dedicated to digging the hole. Now wasn't the time. He pulled the lever on the side of the seat, forcing the upper half of the seat to fly back. He spoke into his shoulder.

"Units we got a 10-80 here, little bunny running around, about three feet, absolutely drop dead gorgeous, gonna need backup."

She shooed him away with her arm.

He spoke into his shoulder once more. "Might have to follow her home, get her number. I can't help it, chief! My heart!" He began to make choking sounds.

Judy peered at the fox, who'd been flopping around in the driver's seat. She became a giggling machine. After a while, Nick let the giggling calm down before he began again.

"I'm a little funny." He smirked.

"Not in a million years."

Judy groaned halfheartedly, pulling her ears in front of her eyes with one hand, her legs closer to her chest with the other. You could appreciate how much he was trying to do to get her back into her normal mood. Nick crept into the back seat and rested his head on her cheek. He whispered in her ears.

"How ya feelin?"

"Like death."

"Lucky for you, I like death."

Then do her a favor."

"Stop talking?"

She giggled once more, reaching her arm around to boop his nose.

"No. Keep talking."

As the sun set, tensions rose.

A couple of bottles of water and a pain reliever later, Judy had been back to her former self. Her head no longer rattled with questions she didn't have the answers to. She could do nothing but let the thoughts float by like pebbles in a river. As long as she didn't entertain them, they didn't bother her. Besides, if she focused on Nick, she'd never have a chance to think about them. There'd never be a dull moment. The duo sat in the open trunk of the SUV. Judy leaning against the side of the car, and Nick's head in her lap. She pet him gently.

"You owe me dinner after making me do all the work today." Nick sighed.

His eyes meandered, meeting the sunglasses he'd been trying to find. They usually shimmered whenever he looked at them. But now, they were a dull black. A dull black that obscured the amethyst behind them. The amethyst he really wanted to see.

"Put it on my tab?" Ingratiating, she pulled his sunglasses down and teased him with her own rendition of his signature half-lidded eyes. She knew what she was doing and she did it well.

"Pretty-please, Officer Wilde?"

It was those things that would do him in. The answers he came up with as to why he loved her so much never seemed to suffice. It was the playful banter that they'd been able to pull off flawlessly with little to no effort. It was the way she teased him with his own nonchalance that made his heart beat louder than the whipping of the wind around them. It was the way she stood on his feet when she hugged him. It was the way her cheeks would flush red when she caught him staring. It was her willingness to try everything with the best of her abilities. It killed him. If only she knew she motivated him to get up everyday. If only she knew she had the ability to make him feel like there was an entirely different world dedicated to just the two of them. It was the little things that made him feel like there could be a God, and if there was, maybe she did have favorites…

He smirked. "As you wish, M'lady..."

Nick rolled off of her, and hopped out of the trunk. He whistled while he walked to the driver's side door. Judy took off the glasses and folded them. She smiled almost uncontrollably as she tilted the glasses back and forth, trying to catch the setting sun on the surface of the shades.

She heard the whistling end abruptly.

Resting the sunglasses in the divot of her collar, she pushed herself off of the lip of the trunk.

Her eyes peered over the corner of the car.

"Nick?"

He'd disappeared.

She looked everywhere. Under the car, above the car, in the car. She couldn't find him anywhere.

A hand gripped her shoulder and swung her around.

She couldn't speak in time, as the devil stooped to her, pressing his nose against hers, staring with prescience.

Judy's scent was something unbelievable. It was surprising that Nick had never noticed it. This heavy, intoxicating musk, with sweet undertones of lavender. The aroma snuck up behind you, and whispered everything you've ever wanted to hear into your head. This refined air lured you in, and once you leaned in far enough, it took hold of your senses and held them captive. Almost like it was a trap for anyone that ever dared to get that close. But man oh man, was this the opposite of a trap. It was heaven sent. Better than that.

It's funny that he'd think of something like her smell. Something he'd never usually take heed to. Not the way he reserved the back pain only to pester her, or that he'd barely ever been this close to her for this long. But her smell. It was something he enjoyed maybe a little too much. Something he took into consideration.

"I do believe you have something of mine." He purred. He had her right around his finger. Or so he thought.

A beat...

"I believe I do." She breathed, a little jumpscare was nothing compared to what this city's thrown at her before.

He'd be dead wrong if he thought she was going to go down like this. He'd been bothering her all day. She had to have some fun.

She took the glasses off of her collar and fitted them into her back pocket. With a half lidded gaze and an even halfer smirk, she asked,

"You can get them, can't you?"

It was all or nothing. Nick had never really gone exploring the lower half of this bunny. He definitely wanted to, like really wanted to, but the staggering amount of trust that she had with him always left him powerless. She was so comfortable with him. He buried his sincerity beneath the teasing and name calling. But it never seemed to phase her.

"Or maybe she's trickier than I bargained for."

A smile crept onto Nick's face. He felt as if he'd been on a roller coaster, plummeting towards the ground. He knew that feeling in the pit of his stomach better than anything else. After all, he only felt it when he was around her.

Where did all this start? Who is this doe and what'd she do to the one that made him jump a fence last year? She was doing things to his mind that he couldn't fathom. She confused him, she made him feel safe, she made him feel...happy. He felt like he'd been called upon by the gods to protect her. He loved her so much, and wanted her to know, but he never knew how she would react. He wanted to smother her, and shower her in love. He wanted to listen to her problems. He wanted to be her everything, considering she was already his. His smile faded. So many surprises in such a little package, there's no telling if she felt the same. There's always the chance that he could ruin their friendship right then and there.

How would she react? Would she stop talking to me?

"Never let em' see that they get to you. Not just yet."

He took a step closer, and looked down at her. He placed his paw under her chin, bringing her eyes up to meet his. He let his other paw do the dirty work, trailing it around her waist and down the arch of her back as painstakingly slow as he possibly could. Every centimeter he moved sent waves of electricity throughout her body. If only she knew the things running through his head right now.

He slipped his hand into the bunny's back pocket, and let his hand stay there.

"Snug."

He saw how quickly she'd been beginning to lose it. Her eyes shook, and he felt her breath hasten, tickling his nose. Lost in one another's gaze, the world seemingly stopped. The seconds like millennia. Nothing but breath. Nothing but heartbeats. No matter how rough the sand felt at their ankles, No matter how ferociously the wind whipped, they stood planted into the ground. Their hearts thumped louder and louder on every offbeat.

Blink.

Back to reality.

"Ahem. Well, would you look at the time!"

He slipped the glasses from behind her, trying to move his hand away as quickly as he could. If only he was quick enough. Judy grabbed his hand. Silence. Nick's eyes trying not to move from where they are. Judy's eyes unmoving and perforating, interlaced her fingers with his.

Judy's heart exploded. Every time she touched him it felt like the very first time. Every time she looked into his eyes it felt like there was an entirely different world dedicated to just the two of them. She loved everything that he was. She wanted to be his everything, just like Even if he was an annoying, apathetic, good for nothing, conman fox. Every time she looked into his eyes, she noticed a new twinkle. She enjoyed looking back at herself in the gloss of his eyes. Nick never touched her like this. She wanted to believe that he'd been doing this as a joke, but she also wanted to believe he hadn't been. When did this all start? What happened to the Tod that would complain whenever he had to do something? Well, he never left. But she was glad that part of him never left, because it made him everything she wanted. Her other half. Someone that would make her laugh on a bad day. Someone that would be just as happy to see her as she was to see them. Someone that could fill the dull, dead air around her.

Blink.

Judy's demeanor changed. Caring not for the validity of the situation. She only cared for him. This overflow of emotion wasn't a first time thing. It always seemed like the universe would hand her everything she wanted when he was around. She wanted to drop everything she was doing and stay in the positions that they were in for the rest of eternity. She wanted to crawl into his chest, and hibernate in the soft tufts of white that flitted from the collar of his shirt. She bashed herself for not being able to think straight in a situation like this. But what would you call "thinking straight" in a situation like this?

She knew that she should be in the moment, for fear that there may not ever be a moment like this ever again, regardless of where they were or if this was a joke or not.

Nick desperately for something to switch the subject to. This couldn't be where he spilled his heart to the girl of his dreams.

C'mon, c'mon…

He pulled his nose away from hers.

"Y'know… Wolfard is totally into you. Should've seen he gave you when he gave us our stuff earlier today."

Judy scoffed. She knew what he was doing.

"I'm not an idiot, Nick… and he's not into me. You say that about everyone at the precinct."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure."

"Positive?"

"Positive."

"Source?"

She rolled her eyes, letting go of his hands and making her way back to the passenger side door.

NIck closed the door, and noticed the half asleep bunny, resting her head on the middle console. He rubbed her cheek with the back of his paw.

"C'mon. Dinner's waiting at home." She yawned.

There'd been a stagnant air outside the precinct. Not much had been said between the two since earlier in the evening. It wasn't an awkward silence, but more so being contempt with the other's presence.

They leaned on pillars opposite one another, while Judy called a Zuber for the both of them.

Nick watched as she fidgeted, rubbing her shoulders and shaking her head. He walked over and rested his arm on her head.

"What's happenin', Fluff?"

"I'm k-kinda cold." She stammered, not looking up from her phone.

"Hm…"

He poked her side, making her leap from where she'd been leaning. He took the opportunity to take her space, and greet her once again with open arms.

"New spot for ya."

"I'm only doing this because you took my spot." She said, leaning into his stomach. She was stepping on his feet, but the bright white screen in front of her had taken up most of her attention. Honestly, Nick didn't mind, since holding her was more than enough. He closed in on her, and slipped his head through her ears.

"Counting on what happened a couple hours ago, I wouldn't bet that's your only reason."

"What?"

"Huh?"

He noticed a speck of dust making its home on Judy's collar. He folded her collar down for her to see.

"Who's your little friend?"

"Oh, thanks for letting me know. Could you get it for me?"

"No way! How is the world gonna know about their hard working Carrot Top, if they've got no evidence?"

"Har-Har, Slick."

she pressed her back into his.

"Alright, alright...What's his name?"

Smiling, she proclaimed,

"His name is Nick Two, and he'll be the only Nick coming home with me, if you keep it up."

"That's what they always say." He looked up at the sky.

You love me, Carrots. Don't deny it."

"Do I know that? She giggled, finally looking up from her phone.

They looked into one another's eyes for a moment. Before she spoke.

Yes…

Yes I do…"


	3. Heating Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Heyo! I'm super sorry for how long it took for this chapter to come out. I sometimes have motivational issues when it comes to doing things, and it impacts even the things I really enjoy doing. Nonetheless, Within time, I finally finished it, and it motivated me to keep going. So don't worry! hopefully the next chapters won't be as slow as this, but if they are, please bear with me! I don't want to give you sloppy writing, so I do so when I feel my best. Love you, and thank you for reading :)

"So finally, at the end of the interview, I tell him - Guess what I tell 'em?" Nick asked, snickering throughout the explanation of his joke.

The duo made their way down the hall, Judy trying not to murder the fox in cold blood. She entertained Nick as she scrambled her book-bag for her apartment keys.

"What'd you tell 'em Nick?"

she asked, almost, no, exactly like she'd been talking to a fourth grader.

"I told the guy that he didn't have the right Koala-fications! Eh? Eh?"

"Heheh.." She let out slowly, still rummaging through her book-bag.

Nick poked at her sides.

"Ah!" she flinched, swatting away at his paws.

"Yeah, yeah, it would've been funnier had this not be the fortieth time you've told me!"

They stopped at the end of the hall. Judy still shuffled through her bag, begging and pleading that she could find her keys, so she'd no longer have to tolerate his wisecracks.

"You wouldn't know comedy if it killed you."

He leaned against the doorway, and began to pick his claws.

"If it's your kind of humor, I hope it does." Judy mumbled, letting the jingle of her apartment keys mask the jab that she threw his way.

"I heard that." Nick nudged Judy's ear with his free elbow.

The creaking of the recently departed door welcomed them into the familiar darkness. Nick took Judy's bag, and turned to pick up his own. Judy walked into her safe haven, wiping the day off of her face. She looked around, not really knowing what she'd been looking for. It'd been a long day, so there'd be no surprise if she was daydreaming.

Her apartment had its own charm, convincing you to drop a memory each time you entered and exited. Some of her fondest memories were made here, even fonder ones to come.

Lights on.

Her home oddly contradicted her personality. You could see the months slowly engraving themselves into the bleak dark walls. The lavender undertones that emanated from her body, pervaded this new, cold air, making it as pungent as it's ever been before. It was intoxicating. This, along with a noticeable clean smell in the air. The way this cutesy rabbit made her bright, pastel mark upon the bleak, light grey space around her always made Nick smile. You truly couldn't miss it. Instances of magenta's and pastel blues, light pink's, yellows. Whether it be a notebook, a pillow or a shirt, it stood out, just like Judy; A blatant, yet unexpected aberrance. It was rewarding how much he could garner from something as simple as a color in her living room.

With a groan, Judy dragged herself to her room, unbuckling her utility belt.

Nick took the entirety of the home in. Although he'd been there before, these feelings could never escape him. She closed the door and left the rest of the space to Nick. The fact that she trusted him enough to leave her whole home to him for even a couple of seconds, made him feel warm inside. Someone finally looked at him for what he actually had been, rather than the species he'd been stuck with. The light ringing in his ears took over his thoughts, recovering him from his daze. Silence without Judy was silence he couldn't stand. He walked in and dropped the bags to his right, keeping eyes on the city-scape that made itself known through the wall-wide window on the far side of the room. As he inched forward, the notch of soft carpet that collided with his toes broke his concentration once more. His eyes flickered to the carpet, and back up to the window. Bedroom door, Kitchen, then the TV.

"Can't hurt."

He snatched the remote from the wood stained coffee table that sat close to him. He switched the TV on, allowing the incessant rambling of the news anchors on screen to fill the emptiness. Placing the remote on the arm of the couch, he let his head fall back and took a deep breath.

A door opening. His ears moved with the creak.

The bunny moved from the shadows of the room, entering the living room with her eyes closed, attempting to adjust to the abundance of light.

"Oh! Uh.."

Nick raced towards the light switch. He pressed it, and watched as the green dot danced up and down, as the lights began to dim.

"Better?"

The bunny did nothing but nod.

She made her way to the couch, light bouncing off of the folds of her flowy nightgown. She plopped down and slid her upper half sideways until her head eventually came in contact with the cushions of the couch. She let out a long sigh, that would soon be abruptly cut off by the sound of her remote hitting the ground.

The gong of the plastic remote resonated within the apartment walls, accompanied by yet another groan from the fluffy, agitated mass.

"I'll get it, my damsel in distress." Nick japed, before preening the kitchen of it's snacks and drinks.

Judy and Nick had the next day off. When they'd first become partners, Judy thought their friendship could blossom more than it had, in turn making their workflow easier to deal with. They'd been friends, even before Judy asked Nick to become her partner, so evidently, Judy wanted to do "friend things." Whatever that meant. This list included all the regular "friend things" that "friends" did. Walking in the park, visiting famous city monuments, going out to get food on select days of the week, and having movie nights. However, as time went on, and work became tougher to manage, some of these time consuming, albeit fun, activities came more and more scarce. Today had been one of those days. Usually, when both of them had the day off, they'd arrange a movie night. Scary movies, Comedies, Rom-Coms, Tragedies, you name it. Nick would come over, they'd laugh and joke, watch a couple of stupid movies, and he'd leave in the morning. Nothing more, nothing less. But this time was different. For the first time in a really long time, Nick felt...awkward. He didn't know if it'd genuinely been a long time since he'd been over, or if time just passed painfully slowly when he was alone. Time flew with Judy after all, there'd never be a dull moment.

"Nick. Please. Hurry.

She groaned, the gravel in her voice becoming more prominent.

"ZNN is on, and I can't stand to listen to this moose talk any longer."

"Whoa there, hot stuff, what's wrong with the news?"

He set two cups onto the counter, and turned to look into the fridge for a smoothie. Judy always made the same kind. It lasted from the beginning from the week until the weekend, and when the time came, she'd make another. With both hands, he slid the large glass container out of the fridge and onto the table. He held the container with one hand, the glass in the other, and leaned it just enough to where the smoothie came out ever so slightly..

"There's some pretty interesting stuff sometimes."

Judy rolled onto her back and shot her arm up.

"Riiight, 'cause who doesn't love listening to news anchors rub other people's tragedies in their face? Who doesn't love having the idea that someone is in danger right now shoved into conscience? I could be out there doing whatever I can to help the people in need, but my stupid brain wants to give me problems. God, I shouldn't have told Clawhauser my head hurt. Aah, That snitch!"

She clasped at the air before letting her arm drop onto her chest. Her eyes fell shut, hoping the sigh that she'd let out would drown out the voices that bombarded her ears, forever. Nick noticed the genuine distress in her voice. He looked up, with a furrow in his brow.

"Carrots..."

"Nick, we're police officers. That's what we do. We save people, not watch them get worse. If I can't do something to fix it, I don't wanna know about it."

She shuffled, turning to lay back onto her side.

A cold sensation reaching his fingers.

The cup is overflowing.

He quickly pulled the container away, and set it down. After drying his hands, he sidled over to the couch, picking up the remote on the way there.

Silence filled the air. An animated moose flung his arms around, detailing all sorts of presumably important things.

Nick sat down on his knees in front of her, Wishing he'd pay more heed to the headache medicine on the coffee table. Confused on how he didn't notice it beforehand, he gave the topic little thought. He dug his elbow into the space that she left over and let his head rest in his hand, while he let his other hand rest on her forehead.

"You're gonna get another headache." He rubbed his thumb back and forth on her temple.

Her eyes tightened. Nick stared at her, brows still furrowed. It was moments like these that confused him on how much she trusted him. He wanted to do as much as he could to make sure that she was comfortable. He wanted to do as much as she can so she can live her life as content as it possible could be. Being a police officer obviously didn't make it easy, but if he could make her smile even once, it showed promise for the future. A lot of mammals like to say to take things with a grain of rice, but Nick took every mannerism to heart. He couldn't help it. He really couldn't help it.

He kissed her on the forehead.

Judy's eyes fluttered open. She stared into Nick's eyes, shaking him down for everything he knew.

"You're so selfish, y'know that?"

"Nick, I-"

"You're right. We are police officers. But… He paused.

"But it's dumb to think you can save everyone." His words took the air out of her chest. Her eyes widened and her lips parted.

Nick moved Judy's ears in front of her eyes. Her eye contact made him nervous.

The hand he once had on her forehead, gravitated towards his lap.

"If you were expected to save everyone you come across, you'd be the only one on the job... I know how hard you work, God, everyone knows how hard you work. It's almost selfish to think that there aren't other people that work as hard as you do… It's okay to not…"

He paused. Would she understand what he was saying? He didn't want to make it seem like he was belittling her or downplaying her emotions, but he didn't want her to dwell on something that she couldn't fix. It didn't make any sense. Judy's overwhelming selflessness annoyed him. He wanted her to not care about things, like he did. Otherwise she'd be aching every day of her waking life. Even though he had everything laid out for her, It'd still been hard for him to tell her these things. What if she did understand? What if she understood a little too well, and decided to change completely? He wanted to convey the right message, without trying to force an entirely different mindset onto her.

His brow furrowed.

Judy sat up, bringing Nick back to attention. She grabbed his cheeks, and kissed him on the forehead.

She pulled away, looking at him with worry.

"You're gonna get another headache." Judy mocked him.

His ears drooped, but not out of sadness.

I get what you mean, it's just a little upsetting, is all. I promise I'm not freaking out over things I don't need to be."

He smiled.

She understood exactly what he meant. Deep down, he knew that she'd understand what he was saying. He knew that she was going to take everything he wanted to say the way he wanted her to. Although he knew she understood him better than anyone else did, there'd still always be this inkling of doubt. When it came to almost everything, there was always an inkling of doubt. Sometimes he reprimanded himself for not being as open with Judy as she had been with him.

How can you call her selfish, when you're more selfish than she is?

His newfound thoughts rattled his brain, but he decided to push them away. For another time...always for another time.

Their smiles shone. Judy booped his nose, but couldn't shake the tinge of worry from her face.

Once more in this scenario. Eye to eye, nose to nose. But this time, it was more comfortable. No sand brushing against the side of their ankles, no wind attempting to drown out the sounds of their hearts. It was an ever growing and shrinking silence. A silence that spoke softly and nonchalantly. A silence that seeped from the walls and echoed throughout the rooms. A silence that made its way through all the creases and crevices of the floors.

"Thank you for your work today, Nick."

She met her forehead with his.

"You know me. Always here for ya." He spoke with a smoky tone.

Judy broke contact and pushed him, knocking him backwards.

"Aah!" He caught himself with his elbows.

"My favorite."

Judy scoffed, stepping around him and making her way to the kitchen.

Nick couldn't help but stare, the way her hips swayed ever so slightly when she walked. He could feel his heart begin to beat throughout his entire body. Her hourglass figure, made prominent by the kitchen light that bathed her. He thought of her every feature. The curves, the dips, the arches. But most evident, her eyes. He fell in love with those faux apathetic eyes. Although her half lidded eyes had usually been to mock Nick, sometimes she used them to her own volition. He couldn't stand it. Those eyes, attached to a mind that he couldn't read. Residing within a body he couldn't explore.

Nick stood and brushed himself off, attempting not to lose himself in thought. He shook his head, and made his way to the bar.

"You aren't very slick, Slick."

She began to clean the smoothie spill.

"Who's to say?"

She couldn't help but giggle at the finger guns he shot at her. She folded the towel she used over the handle of the oven, and began to rummage through her fridge, no longer letting hunger get the best of her. The squeak of the bar-stool Nick sat in, prompted her to turn back around, to which he whisked his head in a random direction, until he found a focal point. He began filing through a cookbook her mother gave her before she moved to the city. As expected, nothing but carrot recipes.

"Staring again?."

"Gasp! Me? No way! Whatever could you mean?"

He let the book cover his face, and after a a millisecond, slowly moved the book down to see if she'd still been facing him. Once his eyes met hers, he shot the book back up in front of his face.

Judy shook her head, a sly grin on her face.

"What's for dinner, Slick?" She asked, leaning onto the counter and pulling down on the book. The movement of the book moving Nick away from the nothingness he'd been staring at for the past minute.

He thought out loud.

"Well...We've been picking up lots of fast food on breaks, so how 'bout something healthy?"

"My, My! Look at you wanting to be healthy! Good for you, Nick!"

Judy gestured for a high five, but when the fox went for it, she swiped her hand away, turning to get to work on the food. A turn of a knob here, and the filling of a pot there. She'd been so tired, but within seconds, it seemed as if it all went away. Maybe the meds were finally kicking in. Nick watched her cover up her struggle with a hum, dancing atop a step stool as she set the carrots into a pot with water. She was so quick to assume responsibility when it came to just about anything. It just goes to show that she'll never really learn, even after that semi-serious conversation that they'd had a couple minutes ago.

Nick hopped off of the stool he'd been swiveling back and forth in, and made his way to the kitchen. He stood behind Judy, and lifted her to where she could place the carrots into the pot with ease.

"Oh! Thanks!"

"Nothin' to it. Just… hurry up, I ain't got all night."

"Way to ruin the moment." Judy scoffed.

"Hey, it's what I do best."

After a tedious couple minutes of swapping between holding her up and grabbing seasonings that might not have been supposed to be there, he set her down and grabbed the carrot she'd been holding, out of her hand.

"I'll take it from here. All that "headaching" you've been going through all day must have you begging for some rest, huh?"

"Oh...yeah…"

Judy hopped off of the stool, and made her way back to the couch, She sat, and began to flip through the channels, separating interest and disinterest in mere seconds. Time passed. Not too fast, but not too slow. Nick didn't want to take too much time making food. To be completely honest, he wasn't hungry, but that wasn't going to stop him from making sure she was comfortable. The tapering scrape of cooking utensils, along with the short lived syllables of different voices that shot out of the TV, made for an oddly peaceful environment as it fought the tranquil silence that previously filled the room. After what she deemed too much flipping, Judy decided to switch to a pre-recorded soap opera that she'd reminded herself to watch earlier.

"Oh boy, pawgliacci? Nick muttered.

"What? It's good!"

"That's what they all say, until you get about forty-five minutes in.."

The food, prepared, and the mammals hungry,

Nick dished out the food as quickly as he could, speaking in an obnoxious French accent.

He imitated,

"Ahh yes, cahrraht noodles weeth speecy zai peanut sauce fahr ze

beauteeful bunny!

Giggling, she took the bowl. There wasn't anything better than hearing her giggle. Hearing her laugh made his heart flutter, he wouldn't even begin to explain what her smile did to him.

He flashed her a smile, and a little giggle of his own. He turned back to the kitchen and announced as he walked.

"Eef you dahn't like eet, mahney bahck! Guarahntee!"

Through snickers and chuckles, they'd finally been together on the couch, attempting to watch the soap opera that'd been on for about twenty minutes already. It hadn't necessarily mattered, considering how they'd been chatting the whole time, paying little to no mind to the TV.

"What were you saying about the history of your farm, was it farm or family? Something like that."

"What are you even- Oh! I don't even remember, how'd you pick up on that?

"Well I was curious, so I kept it in the back of my mind. Nothing this big brain can't handle.."

He rubbed the back of his neck. He wasn't nervous, but quite the opposite. He'd been way more comfortable that he was in a long time. A tick, maybe?

"Well, I appreciate it, but it'd take way too long to go into detail about."

"That's just fine, I like long stories anyway."  
He gazed at the invisible watch on his wrist.

"I've got just about…. All night."

He smirked before setting his bowl down on the small table to his left.

Leaning into the couch, He tucked one leg underneath him, and laid his head into his fist. He wasn't going anywhere, anytime soon.

Judy smiled, but the smile faded slowly. Not because of his smug attitude, but because of how much he cared for her and the things she cared about. She loved and hated how he'd be satisfied just being around her. Why couldn't he be a lowlife, apathetic narcissist through and through? It was only once you got to know him that you found out he was so much more than that. It was only then did you find out that he actually is more than some dumb fox. He had character…substance. He cared about things.

Although, deep down, she wanted much more than to watch this movie, she knew that that'd probably been what he was there for. Nothing more, nothing less.

She continued,

"You said you didn't have all night when we were in the kitchen. What happened now?"

"Eh, my arms were tired. a life of hustlin' cute fuzzy-wuzzy bunnies takes a lot out of y- Ow!"  
Another strike, landing clean on his arm.

Judy cleared her throat.

"Well…"

She trailed off about the history of her family and the farm she grew up on. The different types of crops and botanical "this's" and "that's", her family tree, and surprisingly, the names of every single one of her siblings. All...275 of them… Big brain for a little bunny.

Judy stretched her arms, letting out the sigh she'd been holding in for who knows how long. She grabbed both bowls and made her way to the kitchen.

Nick's eyes followed her until she'd been out of his peripheral. His eyes then meandered until they came across the carrot charm she'd recently added to her phone case. He fiddled with the charm, then spoke up.

"With a nickname like Carrots, I would've expected you to eat more than two bites."

"Hey, Hey! Keep your eyes on your own food! I can eat this later, Okay? I like to savour my food. Not wolf it down like some savage beast." She mocked him.

"Woah, woah! Be careful, this savage beast is still hungry, and rabbit would be delicious right about now!"

"Then come and get it." She teased. Setting the plates down into the sink. She walked to the edge of the counter and leaned onto it with one hand, sinking into her hip. She dropped her head slightly, letting her eyes fixate on him. Letting him know that she was nothing short of serious.

Nick chuckled. She gave him permission. Nothing more, nothing less. He wasn't sure what she'd been hinting at, but he wasn't going to give up this opportunity, not just yet. He strolled over to her.

"Hehe, y'know you surprise me sometimes Carrots. I never seem to know what's going on in your head. One second you're all tired and brazen, and the next, you're…"

He swooped her up in his arms before speaking, but the bunny cut him off.

"I can be as brazen as I want."

She pulled on his collar, her breath flirting with the fur on his neck and ears.

"Scratch tired of the list, then?

He whispered in her ear.

"Hm, my arms were just tired."

"Hm.."

A contagious smile grew between the both of them. The passing of time fell short and unnoticeable. They once again slipped into the same void of space, filled with a calm, pleasing silence, neither of them daring to interrupt. Until they did.

Seemingly at the same time, their lips imitated magnets, and slowly but surely, they met.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Heyo, I'm iri. this used to be a really old account of mine that I decided to re brand. I'm not necessarily sure what I'm going with this, But I'm a lot older, and I knew that I could probably make stories that were longer, more contextual, and easier to read. I've been into writing for as long as I can remember, but I never felt right writing anything that I did in the past. Probably just nerves. There's a lot that I want to improve when it comes to writing. Have it be describing a place, or using words and emotions that I feel completely convey the idea that's in my mind, there's lots of work to be done, and I hope someone can give me little insights on how to get where I'd like to be. I like doing this a lot, and want to write as much as I can before procrastination swallows me whole lol. If you enjoy reading it, let me know. :)


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